Liner stretcher for teat cups of milking machines



2 Sheets-Sheet l S. E. ALLEN -LINER STRETCHER FOR TEAT CUPS 0F MILKING MACHINES Nov. 8, 1927.

Filed Nov. 1'7, 1926 Samuel //R Nov. 8,1927.

s. E. ALLEN LINER STRETGHER FOR TEAT CUPS OF MILKING MACHINES Filed Nov. 17, 1926 f 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fwn/Ess.' i

Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

Unirse sfr'rasl l. @:iisna retenir err-rea.

SAMUEL, E. Arten, or rcue'rrznnrsin. vean, Assrerrcafj'o 'man DE LAVAL SEPARATR COMPANY, or New' Yoan, n. Y., A' conroRA'r'roN or NEW JERSEY;

LINER STRETCHER ronl maar curs or Minirrrre MActrINEs'.,

Application' filed November 17, 1926'. Serial No.v1`48,818

The ordinary teat cup forming part of a millring. machine comprises an outer metal shelland a ilexible'and elastic (rubber) liner extending' through the shell and whose ends are inl engagement with opposite ends otthe shell cri `tvith'- members in fixed relation with the' shell. The normalV length of av liner may be less'.v than, or slightlyy greater than, the length of the shell.; butthev proper function- A figl et the; liner (expansion and contraction und'erthe'inuence of diierential air preseures) requires that `the liner shall be substantially stretched longitudinally between itspcints of engagementwith opposite ends ctt-the shell.

To effect this' stretching of the liner manu'ally requires muchmuscular effort, and evenf those workmen who areaccustomed to assembl'enew teat cups nd the Work arduous and tedious, while the ordinary user has not *only still` more diiiiculty in eiecting the v`stretal-ling.but very often fails tol do so to the degree required to enable the liner to opcrate-with properl ettlcie'ncy.

i Mechanical `means, manually operable, have been devised to facilitate thel insertion et liners into teat cups,- and such means operateiwithlentirc successwhen applied to new liners, butl after a liner has bee'nin'` use rfc5-rJ a-time, nots'u'cientl'y long tosubstan- "tia'lly' iinpalirits' utility, but sutliciently long to" materially diminish' its flexibility and elasticity, such mechanical means are not dependable' and frequently fail to hold the liner ta'ut during the stretching opera-tion. The' object of my invention is to provide new' mechanica-ll liner stretcher means that will `operatey efficiently as applied either to new'.v ery old liners'.

In the drawings, I show several embodieinlbo'dying my invention.

.Figf 1 irsv a longitudinal sectional view of a, liner' having applied thereto the removable ring'. or sleeve element of one of the devices embodying my invention.

Fig'.- 2 isl a side elevation ofv said device, the shell ot the teat cup being in sectional elevation, and the parts being positioned ready for stretching the liner. Y

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview of the same' device with th'ef parts in position after the liner is st'iletched` Fig. t isl a plan ct the base of the same drance!d Fig. 5' isa perspective vi'ew ofi a Inodiiiel ring element. o l

Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, ,of the upper part of a device modified to adapt itrtoy theV ring of Fig. y5', and before bending down 'the projectingr end ot the liner and applying. the't'zafp.k K

llig-q 7 is a view ofv the device of 6',

in sectionalv elevation, and with the prcjccting.' ,end of the liner bent down over the shell' dbh tubeecarryn ca. a theme11.. g P .P l

Fig. 8 is ap'artial view, in vertical section',

of another modification.

An Ordinary JCYP@0f-"Seat cup shell a shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the same being shown in an Vinverted position compared` with the position it occupies when applied'totheteat of the cow.- The shell isenlarged alt/,its .upper end (the lower :endin theidrawngs') and? contractedV at its lower end. (the `upper end in the drawings)..v The-flexibleand` elastic (rubber) liner b, after assembly, extends throughrthe shell in `a stretched condition, K

one end being expanded around aring. engaging the enlarged end ot the shell` (as shown in Fig. 3) and the other end projecting beyond, and folded down overAY 'the outside of, the contracted neclr offfthe. s'liell (as f i Y shown?V also, in Fig. in'jdottedlines).V A .cup bttom d (shown in Figi. Zas applied to fone off the modiiications)` encloses the con-- tracted end, or neck, of the shell` and carries a ring cZ threaded on the shell adjacentsnch contracted end. i

In assembling the teat cup', the liner`- b, having insertedV therein the ring c,.i`s` entered within the' shell a, a's shown' in Fig. 2, and,

in the absence of any mechanical appliance,

the operator inserts his iinger' `or thumb through the contracted end of the shell and pulls the freev end ofthe liner a considerable distance beyond this contracted e'ndf s0l as ,t'o

stretch the liner, andthen, while maintaifn- ,The head. el? traste-conical I shape. Secured to and projectingabove the base e are hooks A ring i (in the con- Civ lstruction shown a removablel sleeve) is' slidable on the end of the liner The described elements comprise the entire conplied to the liner Z) and the ring z' is slipped over the opposite end of the liner, as shown in Fig. '1. The liner is then slipped into the shell, through the enlargedendthereof,

until it engages such lenlarged end. The shell and liner, in 'the inverted position shown in Fig. 2, are then slipped over the standard f until the movement is arrested by the ring z', as shown in Fig. 2. The 'operatorthenvpulls down the shelluntilits kenlarged endextends below the plane of the -overhanginghooked ends of the member 7p. It is necessary to'tilt the shell Vvery slightly awayv from a .true vertical position to enable its expanded end to clear the hooks, the dotted line vcircle m in Fig.' 4 indicating the position of the enlarged end of the shell after it has been so pulled down. The described operation stretchesy the liner, because the part thereof that engages the conical surface of theliead g is conned from slipping thereover by com-pression between such surface andthe lower vend ofthe ring'z'. The shell is their restored vtoa true verticalposition byL slipping theenlarged end thereof into the position shown by -th'edotted line circle y in Fig. fl, inwwhich position, shownV also lin Fig; '3, the hooks '71, hold the shell from retraction upward bythe elasticforce of the liner.: The. ring z'. is nowA removed. The part of the 'liner projecting above the contracted 'endofthe shell is then folded over such end Yinto {the dotted line position shown in Fig.

3.' V`After the ringe' is removed, the liner lis prevented froml slipping back over the head gby being compressed between the vlarge `diameter portion of head g and the inside of the contracted end of the shell. 'Jfwith itsapplied liner, is then tilted llaterally The shell,

Y vto free its enlarged end from the hooksl l1, and

is slipped voiffthestand. The tube-carrying cap d isthen applied, as shownin Fig. 7.'

The conical surface of head g,'especially y the yrounded edge vat the larger diameter `intothe neck vof the shell.

thereof, bears against the interior of the rubber liner infit's stretched-out condition and Vshould present a perfectly smooth vsurface to avoid injuring the liner. as itis forced up To avoid possiyble damage to this conical edge of head g, the base e of the stand is madeof large venough diameter to protect said edge from being marred if the stand should be knocked over. This is accomplished as exemplified in Fig. 2 by broken line e, tangent to the top head g and to the outer edge of base e. The base is of such diameter that this line teat cup is yasthat forms'an integral partof the'teat- Cup structure. rlhe standard. has preferably a swelled head 7c and a neck m projecting beyond it and over which is slipped a threaded tube n; carrying a frusto-conical headgo` which engages and surrounds the head k of thestandard. The tube n, like lthe'tubecarried by the head d in Fig. 7, isr adapted to be connected with the milkline ofV the milk'-y ing machine. To the liner r is applied a ring p, similar tothe ring j of Fig. 5. The liner 7 is secured to theenlarged end (not shown) of theV shell s and the liner and shell; are

slipped over ,the standard while the latter carries the tube n. Thev liner is then stretched by pullingdown the shell, as before 1described, the ring functioning, as in the structure of Figs. V5 7, to bindV the liner i, against the head o.Y The ring. p, like ringV j, remains in position in the assembledV teat cup. A nut t is then applied tothe tube n and is turned until it engages the end-0f the shell. By means of' this nut, the liner 1 may be further stretched, if desi-red. y Having now fully described`my'invention, what I claim and -desire to `protect by Letters Patent is: V; .f1 l. A teatcup liner stretcher whichjcom- Yf prises means for engagingoneendportionof the liner with one endof the cup shell, a head over which the linerl is adapted to slip, and a ring engageable with the llinerandadapted llO to cooperate'with the said head to'confine.:`

the other end portion of the liner from movement while the shell is moved relativeto the head to stretch the linerfbetween the specied points of engagementand confinement.

` 2. 'A teat. cup liner stretcher which comprises means for engagingone end portion .of the liner with one en'd of the ,cup shell, a head having a conical face and over which the liner is adapted to slip, and a ring adapted to embrace the liner. and confine the liner against the conical face of theL head vwhile'the shell is moved relative tothe head to stretch Y ist adapted' to cooperate with the head to grip the liner, whereby further downward movement of the shell will stretch the liner,

4. A teat cup liner stretcher for stretching a liner one end portion of which is secured to one end of the cup shell, comprising a standard over which the shell and liner are adapted to slip, a head carried by the standard, a ring engageable with the liner and adapted to cooperate with the head to grip the liner, whereby further downward movement of the shell will stretch the liner, and

means to hold the shell in position to maintain the liner stretched. l Y

5. A teat cup liner stretcher for stretching a liner one end portion of which is secured to one end of the cup shell, comprising a standard over which the shell and liner are adapted to slip, a head carried by the standard, a ring engageable with the linervand adapted to cooperate with the head to grip the liner, whereby further downward movement of the shell will st-retch the liner, a base on which the standard is supported, and hooked members on the base under the hooks of which the end of the cup shell to which the liner is secured is adapted to be swung to maintain the liner in stretched condition.

6. AAteat cup linerstretcher comprising means for engaging one end portion of the liner with one end of the cup shell, a head over which the liner is adapted to be slipped,-

and a removable ringy adapted to engage the liner and confine the other end portion of the liner from movement while the shell is moved relatively to the head to stretch the 1 liner, the hea'd and liner being so shaped that the liner, after stretching and after the removal of the ring, will be squeezed between said head and shell.

7.' A teat cup liner stretcher for stretchl ing the liner within-a teat cup shell provided with aV contracted neck, comprising means at one end of the shell engaging one endl portion of the liner, a tapered head overwhich squeezed between the large diameter portion y of the head and the inside of the contracted neck of the shell and thereby held yin stretched condition afterremoving the ring. In testimony of which invention, I have `hereunto set my hand at city of New York,

New York, on this 4th yday of November, 1926.v

' SAMUEL E. ALLEN.

the liner is adapted to be slipped, and a rey 

